


Yuta Sensei

by owlsINspace



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, otaku!winwin, tutor!yuta, winwin takes jpn so he can watch anime without subtitles, yuta flirts with winwin but when doesn’t he
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-03-30 16:06:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13955145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owlsINspace/pseuds/owlsINspace
Summary: Anime-enthusiast (he refuses to call himself an otaku), Dong Sicheng finds himself failing his Japanese class and with dropping the class not an option, he has no choice but to get a tutor to help him out.His (admittedly hot) tutor, Nakamoto Yuta, doesn’t make life easier for him, finding every opportunity to get the boy as flustered as he can.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/n: im really self projecting on winwin here im so sorry. this was inspired by some of my classmates when I was still in college and this pic http://imgur.com/yZBEeQo 
> 
> i’m working on the next chapter of feline good and a noren/yuwin fic series but my adhd makes it so i can’t focus on one thing at a time but i promise content is coming lol. Unbeta-ed.

Sicheng groans, slamming his head on the table where his friends are sitting eating their lunch in the university’s student center. Doyoung doesn’t bat an eyelash, casually eating a fork full of his salad while studying his notes from his chemistry class. Jungwoo has the decency to look slightly startled before ignoring Sicheng to continue to happily eat his cheeseburger.

 

“Guys help me,” Sicheng whines, his face still pushed up against the table, muffling his words.

 

Doyoung peers at Sicheng from his round glasses and raises an eyebrow. “I know exactly what you need help with and I told you so,” he says smugly before going back to his notes.

 

Sicheng pouts and turns to his other friend who shrugs in response. “I don’t know how I would be of help since I don’t take the class,” Jungwoo says sympathetically, patting Sicheng’s head as he groans again. “Why not ask Taeyong, he’s pretty good at Japanese?”

 

Sicheng shakes his head and looks at Jungwoo pitifully.” He’s too busy now that he got that part time job...”

 

“Didn’t I tell you it was a stupid idea to take this class?” Doyoung chimes in, finally putting down his notes. “Didn’t I tell you that taking Japanese just because you wanted to watch anime without subtitles was a stupid idea. Don’t take languages, lightly,” he wags a finger in Sicheng’s direction who swats it away and frowns.

 

“Stop nagging me, I get it...” Sicheng sighs, burrowing his head onto the crook of his arm. Doyoung frowns, lightly slapping Sicheng’s arm.

 

“Have you thought about dropping the class?” Jungwoo suggests, working on eating his fries now. Sicheng shakes his head and looks up at him.

 

“The cut off to drop classes was a week and a half ago,” he says. “Plus I don’t want to drop it...”

 

Doyoung scoffs, laughing in disbelief. “You’re failing the class and you want to keep taking it? Are you stupid or just masochistic?”

 

Sicheng pouts looking at Doyoung. “Stop calling me stupid...”

 

He sighs, leaning back on his chair. “Look, I get where you’re coming from, but I’m saying all of this because it was foolish for you to take this class without really understanding what you were getting into.” Sicheng shrinks into his seat the longer Doyoung speaks. “And I know you’re stubborn, but you need to figure out how to handle things yourself.”

 

Jungwoo pats Sicheng’s head again, but addressed Doyoung. “Aw, Doyoung go easy on him.”

 

Doyoung huffs, sticking his nose up. “He’s a grown man, he can’t be babied.”

 

Jungwoo giggles, “says the man who babies him the most.” Doyoung’s face heats up in embarrassment and snatches his notes, refusing to look at the two in front of him. He mumbles a quiet “shut up” and continues to eat his salad angrily. “Have you thought about the school’s tutor center? You could get one of those student tutors?”

 

Sicheng perks up at the mention of the tutor center. “Tutor center? We have one of those?” He says with mild interest.

 

Jungwoo nods, absentmindedly picking at his fries. “Yeah, I went there last semester when I was struggling with statistics,” he pauses to plop a fry in his mouth. “They get other students who are in more advanced classes to tutor you stuff.”

 

Sicheng hums thoughtfully and Doyoung rolls his eyes. “Why are you even thinking about it? Do you want your parents to know you’re failing miserably? I’ll drag you to that damn tutor center myself.”

 

“Okay, okay I’ll go!” Sicheng says holding his hands up in surrender. “I don’t see how going to a tutor’s supposed to help me if I can’t understand it in class when I was taught it...” he mutters to himself.

 

Doyoung flicks one of Jungwoo’s fries at Sicheng who whines in protest at the action. “Stop complaining; it’s your only good option at this point. Anyway have you guys seen the new Nintendo direct?” Doyoung changes the subject immediately and Sicheng sighs watching as he and Jungwoo talk to each other.

 

 

— 

 

  
Sicheng doesn’t consider himself as an anti-social person; a little lonely perhaps, but he does have a small group of friends. He wasn’t really into sports growing up, opting to stay inside to watch tv or read, so it was natural he didn’t have many he could call his friends. It was lonely, but Sicheng made do by drowning himself in the colorful worlds of fiction by watching anime and reading manga.

 

Sicheng sighs, hitching the strap of his backpack over his shoulder looking up at the small two story building that held the tutor center. Despite having failing grades and a friend who would nag him every five minutes, Sicheng waited an extra week before having the courage to visit the tutor center. Rationally he knew he should have visited sooner, but his anxiety was holding him back for some reason. Shaking his head he walks towards the building, shoulders hunched.

 

The tutor center was located in the basement of the building and as Sicheng opens the door that leads to it, he sees several round tables with a few students sitting around it working. There are a few private conference rooms, some occupied and some empty. Situated in front of Sicheng is a reception desk where a smaller man is sitting, headphones plugged in, staring at his phone.

 

Sicheng approaches the desk and loudly clears his throat, making the man flinch in surprise. He rips the headphones out of his ears and smiles sheepishly at Sicheng. “Ah, sorry about that...how can I help you?” he asks, tilting his head slightly.

 

Sicheng awkwardly coughs in his fist. “Uh...I need help with my Japanese class and was wondering if I could get a tutor?”

 

The man nods, rolling over to the desk computer on his wheely chair behind him. “Name? And what class are you taking?”

 

“Dong Sicheng and uh, Intro to Japanese,” Sicheng feels his face heat up with embarrassment that he needs help at such a beginner level.

 

The man doesn’t even flinch and continues to type away on the computer. “Did you prefer doing a group? Like a small group of students and a tutor or would you like to work one on one?”

 

“One on one, please.” Less people, less embarrassment.

 

“Any preferences when to start?”

 

Sicheng scratches behind his ear. “Uh, as soon as possible, I guess?”

 

“We can can start today if you aren’t busy.” Before Sicheng can get a chance to protest (because his heart wasn’t exactly ready for some reason), the man wheels his wheely chair out to the hall, “YUTA YOU HAVE A NEW STUDENT.”

 

Sicheng gapes as a man opens the door to one of the conference rooms with a scowl on his face. He’s only slightly shorter than he is, but built wider than Sicheng’s skinny frame. His ears are littered with piercings which Sicheng finds slightly intimidating and his dark brown hair rustled messily atop his head slightly covers his eyes. He’s wearing a grey zip up hoodie over a red tank top and ripped jeans.

 

All in all, Sicheng feels his heart drop to his stomach and has second thoughts about this whole tutoring thing.

 

The scowl doesn’t leave his face as he approaches the man and Sicheng. “Taeil, how many times do I have to tell you not to yell while I’m playing— ” he looks up and blinks once he notices Sicheng.

 

Taeil motions to Sicheng. “Yuta, this is Sicheng; he’s taking intro to Japanese and needs a tutor.”

 

Yuta gives Sicheng a once over with an expressionless look on his face and Sicheng tightens the hold on his backpack strap. After a beat, a blinding smile stretches across Yuta’s face and Sicheng feels his breath hitch slightly. He blinks when Yuta eagerly grabs a hold of his hand and vigorously shakes it “Oh hey! Nice to meet you! Sorry about that, so you need a Japanese tutor, yeah? I’m Nakamoto Yuta, third year taking Advance Japanese II.”

 

Sicheng blinks again at the sudden personality whiplash and lightly shakes his head. “Uh, Dong Sicheng, first year, n-nice to meet you,” he stutters nervously.

 

Yuta chuckles, throwing an arm over his shoulder and he jolts in surprise. “Don’t be nervous! Japanese is a little hard, especially if you have no experience with it. I’ll try to make it fun and easy for you! Before we start you just need to fill out dumb paperwork. Do you have your Japanese homework on you?”

 

Yuta’s rapid fire questions leave Sicheng slightly dizzy as he is dragged away to one of the conference rooms. Yuta chats animatedly asking Sicheng random questions about himself that he quietly answers as he fills out the forms (“how come I haven’t seen you in the language building?” “I’m an biology major”). He asks Sicheng for his book and where his professor is at with the lessons.

 

“So what are you having difficulties with?” Yuta asks, flipping through his text book as Sicheng fidgets across from him. “Grammar, vocabulary, the alphabet?” He peer up at Sicheng with that warm smile on his face, making Sicheng even more uncomfortable for some unknown reason.

 

“I—uh,” he fiddled with the cuff of his navy sweater. “Everything...” he mumbles, looking down when Yuta raises an eyebrow. “I-I mean, I know hiragana pretty decently! I-I’m still a little confused with katakana and know a few phrases!” He opts not say that the only reason why he knows those phrases is because of anime.

 

There’s a twinkle of amusement in Yuta’s eye as he watches Sicheng flounder and his embarrassment rises “That’s quite alright.” He reaches out and gently pats the hand Sicheng has on the table. He tenses slightly, but if Yuta notices, he ignores it. “That’s what I’m here for.” He winks and Sicheng feels his face heat up making Yuta laugh.

  
Now he’s definitely sure that getting a tutor was a bad idea.

 

 

— 

 

  
“Do you guys know who Nakamoto Yuta is by any chance?” Sicheng asks turning to his side while lying down Doyoung’s bed. He has one headphone in watching something on his phone. Doyoung and Jungwoo were on the floor of Doyoung’s dorm playing Mario Kart while Sicheng occupied Doyoung’s bed since his roommate invited a few of his friends over and Sicheng didn’t want to be disturbed while watching the new episode of Touken Ranbu.

  
Doyoung raises an eyebrow but doesn’t turn to look at Sicheng, too focused on his game. “Nakamoto Yuta? Kind of? A good looking guy who’s our soccer team’s ace apparently? I only know of him from what other people tell me.”

 

“Oh! He’s friends with Yukhei,” Jungwoo says looking away from the screen giving Doyoung the opportunity to speed past him. He sighs as Doyoung whoops with victory. “They’re both on the soccer team. I think I’ve met him a few times? He’s very friendly. Kind of touchy though.”

 

“Why are you asking?” Doyoung asks turning around to look up at Sicheng.

 

He shrugs looking back at his phone. “Just curious...”

  
Doyoung raises an eyebrow and smirks. “Why? Are you interested in him?”

 

Sicheng sputters and looks at Doyoung horrified, as if he has an extra head. “N-NO!”

  
Jungwoo giggles covering his mouth. “He’s a very handsome man,” he adds much to Sicheng’s embarrassment.

  
He feels his face heat up and fans himself with his hand. “I-I was just asking because he’s my Japanese tutor!”

 

Doyoung wiggles his eyebrows. “Ooooo it’s like a cliched BL manga. Do you call him Yuta-Sensei too?” Sicheng squeaks, grabbing one of Doyoung’s pillows and chucks it at his face who laughs as he swats it away.

 

“NO! SHUT UP!!!” His face is practically on fire as he curls up into a ball clutching his head.

 

Doyoung laughs and gets up to try and pry Sicheng’s hands from his head. Sicheng swats his hand away and clutches at his head tighter. “You’re going to rip out your hair that way.” He sighs. “I’m jooooooking,” he says poking Sicheng on the cheek. But why are you so interested?”

 

“I’m surprised he’s working as a tutor though,” Jungwoo voices, humming thoughtfully. “He doesn’t seem like the type who would.”

 

Sicheng stops giving his scalp a death grip and give Jungwoo a curious look. Doyoung blinks. “He’s Japanese, right? I can’t see how hard it would be for him to teach someone the language.”

 

“It’s like us teaching someone Korean. Just because you know the language doesn’t mean you can teach it properly,” Jungwoo scolds shaking his finger at Doyoung who holds his hands up in defense. “But no, I meant that I didn’t expect him to be a tutor. Not saying that he isn’t smart, but he got into our school from a sports scholarship.”

 

“Yeah well, he’s teaching me Japanese...” Sicheng hesitates before continuing. “Is he very...uh, flirty with people?” He feels his cheeks heat up again.

 

“He kind of acts like that I guess?” Jungwoo hums and narrows his eyes suspiciously at Sicheng. “Why? Was he flirting with you?”

 

Sicheng chokes on his spit and vigorously shakes his head. “He was just being overly nice; it probably was nothing, I’m overthinking things again,” he says in a rush.

 

Jungwoo shrugs and turns back to the tv to play a new game. Doyoung pats his head as an apology for teasing too much and leaves Sicheng to his thoughts.

 

He can’t seem to get his cheeks to cool off and heart to calm down.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im honestly going to cry???? i wasnt expecting that amount of comments and kudos just on the first chapter???? ive never had something like this happen to me, it really means a lot and im so incredibly thankful to all of u guys;;;;

“Word on the street is you finally sucked it up and got a tutor for Japanese.” Sicheng looks up from his laptop where he’s supposed to be writing his literature paper (instead he’s reading the latest chapter of Golden Kamuy) and sees Taeyong smiling at him. Sicheng rolls his eyes and closes his laptop. He wasn’t working on anything anyway.

Sicheng met Taeyong through the school’s Japanese culture club (it was mainly an anime club much to Taeyong’s dismay) where Taeyong was the president. It was his nature to take care of all the underclassmen, and Sicheng was a confused freshmen who needed as much help as he could get.

Plus he would occasionally help Sicheng with his Japanese, which he was grateful for.

“Why is everyone making a big deal out of me getting a tutor?” He asks as Taeyong opens up a notebook and scans the pages. Sicheng doesn’t go to the library often—he’d rather work in his room but it wasn’t exactly an option since his roommate and his friends were hanging out in their room again.

Taeyong shrugs, taking out a pen from his backpack and marks something on the page, not sparing Sicheng a glance. “You’re stubborn as shit; everyone knows that.” Sicheng lets out an indignant protest that Taeyong ignores with a pointed look. “So how’s it going? Who’s your tutor?”

Sicheng absentmindedly taps his hands on the table looking around the library. “Nakamoto Yuta? I honestly haven’t heard about him until yesterday but apparently he’s pretty well known?”

Taeyong blinks. “Oh, Yuta? I know him. He’s in my conversation class. That’s surprising.”

Sicheng pauses and tilts his head in confusion. “Jungwoo said the same thing...is he a slacker or something?”

Sicheng tries to sound uninterested but he would be lying if he said wasn’t curious, especially since all the (limited) information he gathered on him seemed to contradict the guy. How could someone who looks tough and emotionless, be the soccer team’s ace, apparently friends with half the school, and have the smile of a literal angel. Sicheng couldn’t wrap his head around it.

Taeyong shakes his head and shrugs. “Not really? I mean, he’s nice and helpful if you ask, but he just doesn’t seem like the tutoring type.”

Sicheng hums, tracing his finger along his laptop. It’s silent as he glances around the fairly empty library while Taeyong continues to flip through his notebook.

The peaceful silence is broken when Taeyong casually mentions,“Not trying to say I believe him, but Doyoung tells me you’re interested in him or something?”

Sicheng chokes on his spit at the unexpected question and starts coughing loudly much to the librarian’s annoyance. Taeyong reaches over and starts patting his back asking if he’s okay. He flushes with embarrassment, glancing at the librarian while profusely bowing his head. Well, he can never go back to the library ever again now.

“If it helps I don’t believe a word he says?” Taeyong supplies reaching into his backpack to give Sicheng his bottle of water. He opens the cap and hastily takes a gulp. His face is still warm, placing the water bottle on his face to try to cool it down.

“Yeah don't believe a word he says,” Sicheng mutters. “Just because I show a little—a very little—interest in another person, everyone suddenly starts attacking me.” He ignores Taeyong interjecting that it was only Doyoung saying it and continues ranting. “Can you blame me for wanting to know more about who’s tutoring me?”

Taeyong raises his hands in defense. “Hey don’t get mad at me. But can you also blame Doyoung? You don’t exactly show interest in anything but fictional characters or unattainable people.”

“Are you saying that Nakamoto Yuta is attainable?” It slips out of Sicheng before he realizes what he says. He bites his tongue the second the words leave his mouth.

Taeyong raises an eyebrow in question. “I mean, I don’t see why not?”

“Forget it; ignore that statement. Erase it from your brain,” he shakes his head, feeling another blush creep up on his face. He’s grateful he didn’t say that in front of Doyoung or Jungwoo because, as his best friends, they had some sort of stupid duty to tease him until he wanted to die.

Taeyong gives Sicheng a suspicious look but moves on. Sicheng knows he won’t push the subject; it just wasn’t in his nature to do that. “Anyway... if you really want to know more about him, why not ask Jaehyun? You’re roommates right? They’re like, really close.”

Sicheng looks at Taeyong like he has a second head and blinks before uttering a simple, “what.”

“I’m honestly surprised you haven’t seen him? I’m pretty sure he’s been in your dorm before.” Sicheng ignores the rest of what Taeyong says, feeling himself have a mental breakdown in the middle of the library.

Nakamoto Yuta has been to his room; he’s probably seen all his dumb anime posters. He probably knows how much of a loser he is. He never wanted to die from embarrassment more than this moment.

“I can never go back to my room or go to the tutoring center ever again,” he bemoans, resting his elbows on the table and clutching his head in his hands.

Taeyong rolls his eyes. “You’re so dramatic; calm down. He probably doesn’t even know it’s you.”

He reaches out to grab Taeyong’s hands. “He’s seen my side of the room. He knows the real reason why I’m taking Japanese. He probably knows I’m a huge weeaboo.”

“You are a huge weeaboo,” Taeyong deadpans, shaking Sicheng off his arm who just whines. “I don’t see the big deal. Just because you’re taking Japanese because you like anime doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing.”

Sicheng pouts slightly. “I don’t know...it’s still embarrassing...”

Taeyong gives him a gentle smile. “You stress over the littlest things. I’m sure it’s not a big deal.”

Sicheng frowns. If Lee “literally-has-an-aneurysm-if-he-sees-a-muddy-footprint-in-his-apartment” Taeyong is telling him he stresses out over the littlest thing, it must be true.

He drapes his arms over his laptop and sighs. “Maybe I should just sleep here so I can guarantee they won’t be at the dorms by the time I get back...”

Taeyong smiles, rolling his eyes and shutting his notebook. He stands up and ruffles Sicheng’s head, making him scrunch his nose.

“You know the couch in my apartment is always free. I have class soon so I have to go, but trust me, you’re freaking out over literally nothing. Yuta’s a good guy.” He pauses a small smirk making his way to his face and Sicheng has a bad feeling before the next set of words leaves his mouth. “I didn’t expect him to be your type, but you have good taste.”

Taeyong rushes out of the library as Sicheng yells out a protest, the librarian scolding him to be quiet seconds later.

 

—

 

Sicheng feels the tension in his neck, as he sits with his back pin straight, waiting quietly in the tutoring center for Yuta to arrive. Yuta’s professor kept the class for a couple of minutes so he was running late, according to Taeil. Sicheng smiles uneasily and nods before taking a seat in the few chairs that sat against the wall in front of the reception desk.

After speaking to Taeyong, Sicheng tried to be cautious while going back to his dorm. He ran into a few of Jaehyun’s friends in the past but he doesn’t remember if Yuta was included in those groups. Then again, he always made sure not to make eye contact with any of them whenever they were in their room.

Luckily by the time Sicheng arrived back, Jaehyun was alone in the room, watching something on his laptop. When asked about his skittish behavior, Sicheng avoided it by rushing into their shared bathroom, babbling random nonsense.

He loudly sighs, blowing a strand of hair up as a result. He has no idea why he’s so nervous and embarrassed; normally he wouldn’t care so much about others, but just the thought of making a fool out of himself in front of Yuta makes him cringe.

Is it because I’m really into anime and he’s Japanese and I don’t want to make it look like I’m a dumb otaku in front of him?

A voice in the back of his head, that suspiciously sounds like Doyoung, nags, “it’s ‘cuz you’re attracted to him, stupid.” He rapidly shakes his head, quietly muttering, “no, no, no,” to himself.

Inhaling slightly to calm himself down, he glances around the tutoring center, eyes landing on Taeil who’s staring at him with a small smile on his face. Startled, Sicheng blinks and nods, giving him a tight smile.

Taeli’s smile widens a fraction, eyes crinkling at the corners. “You look really tense; are you alright? I know this is your second day here, and while Yuta looks kind of intimidating at first, he’s really a nice guy.”

Everyone keeps calling him a nice guy, Sicheng thinks off handedly while shaking his head.

“I-I’m okay,” he curses mentally when he stutters over his words. “I, uh, just have a test coming up and I’m a little nervous about passing it,” he lies, clenching his fists together.

“No need to worry! Yuta might not look like someone who knows what he’s doing, but I can reassure you that you’re in good hands,” Taeil laughs with mirth. Sicheng forces an uneasy laugh to try and cover his awkwardness.

“What baseless rumors are you spreading about me now, Moon Taeil.” Sicheng jumps, swallowing a scream that almost makes his way to his throat when a firm hand lands on his shoulder and a familiar voice sounds behind him.

Sicheng glances up to see Nakamoto Yuta smirking at Taeil, looking slightly breathless from running across campus. He glances down, giving Sicheng a warm smile, who quickly looks away, not missing the slight twinkle in Yuta’s eyes when he does.

“Nothing I say about you is baseless,” Taeil laughs and Yuta starts pouting. Sicheng feels his heart about to come out of his chest. It’s definitely because he surprised him when came out of nowhere, no other reason behind it. He squashes the Doyoung voice inside his head once again before he starts to have any strange thoughts.

Sicheng is suddenly aware that Yuta’s hand is still on his shoulder so he subtly tries to shake it off. He stiffens when Yuta lightly squeezes it before letting go.

Shaking his head, he moves over so he’s standing in front of Sicheng. “You ready for today’s lesson?” Sicheng nods and wordlessly stands up to follow Yuta to the same private room they occupied a few days earlier.

Yuta tosses his backpack in the corner of room, watching Sicheng unload his stuff. His eyes are glued to Sicheng, that emotionless, calculating look on his face making Sicheng all too aware of his own actions. He flushes when he fumbles with his pencil case, spilling the contents all over the desk. Yuta helps him, hand gently brushing against Sicheng’s when he hands him a few pens, making him jolt in surprise.

“You don’t have to be so nervous around me; it feels like I did something wrong,” Yuta says off handedly and Sicheng feels bad. He looks at Yuta who has a small frown on his face. He didn’t intend to make the older feel bad.

“S-sorry,” Sicheng mutters, looking down at his lap. “I’m honestly just really embarrassed about I don’t know...everything,” he admits quietly. Yuta’s frown deepens, giving him a questioning look so he could elaborate. Sicheng feels his face heat up once again and he wishes he could tame his bodily reactions better. “I can assure you that it has nothing to do with you personally.” That’s the second time in less than an hour that Sicheng told a tiny lie but, no one else had to know about that.

Yuta hums, tapping his finger on his lips in thought. “Is there anything I can do so you’re more comfortable?” he asks. “Our lessons are scheduled to be an hour long, but I can always extend today’s since you’re my only student.” He leans back on the chair he’s sitting on, flashing Sicheng that bright healing smile. “Let’s get to know each other first, yeah?”

  
—-

  
Sicheng nearly jumps out of his skin when he opens the door to his dorm and sees Jungwoo and Doyoung sitting on his bed, playing Smash on his Wii U. He curses loudly, dropping his bag on the floor clutching his chest. Doyoung has a popsicle in his mouth (one of his popsicles he was saving for a special day) and lazily waves back, eyes not leaving the screen of the TV. Jungwoo is more focused, brows furrowed and tongue sticking out as he smashes the buttons.

“Jesus Christ, you guys almost gave me a heart attack! How the hell did you even get in!?” He slams the door shut once his heart rate settles down and picks up his backpack, tossing it on the chair by his desk.

“Jaehyun,” the duo says simultaneously and Sicheng rolls his eyes. Jaehyun has no sense of caution; he’s going to have to talk to him about not letting people into their room when one of them isn’t present.

“You’re back late,” Doyoung mumbles with the popsicle stick still in his mouth. He quietly exclaims “yes!” while pumping his fist when he knocks Jungwoo’s character off the stage while the other boy whines.

Sicheng opens his mouth to respond but pauses when he feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. He scrunches his eyebrows in confusion. Literally the only other people (besides Taeyong but he knew he had work) that would text him are inside his room at the moment. He takes his phone out of his pocket and quietly says a soft, “oh,” while looking at the message.

 _Yuta-sensei ♡♡♡_  
_just wanted to make sure i got your number on my phone right :) today was fun, but next session we gotta start working so you can be fluent in jpn!!!!_

Sicheng feels his face heat up seeing what Yuta saved his name under. He bites his lip, trying to hide his smile and types a quick message back.

But of course he can’t put anything past Doyoung’s eagle eyes who turns to Sicheng with a raised eyebrow. “What’s got you all smiley?” he asks, a suspicious tone in his voice.

Sicheng shakes his head, holding his phone to his chest. It vibrates with another message. “Just a dumb meme I saw on twitter.”

Doyoung narrows his eyes. Of course he wouldn’t believe Sicheng; he knows the younger boy too well.

“Oooooh what meme? Show me,” Jungwoo innocently asks, getting up to try and look at Sicheng’s phone. Sicheng holds his phone tighter to his chest shaking his head.

Jungwoo whines again wrapping his skinny arms around Sicheng in a hug, shaking him, pestering him to show him.

Doyoung watches quietly observing Sicheng’s facial expressions, noticing how he’s keeping a death grip on his phone and the deep flush on his face.

“It’s Yuta isn’t it,” he smirks, satisfied when Sicheng starts to blubber, holding his phone tighter. “You got his number.”

Jungwoo gasps, hugging and shaking Sicheng harder. “You got his phone number!? And you didn’t want to tell us!?”

“W-why do you think it’s him?” Sicheng would rather die than admit to anything first, even though he knew very well Doyoung had exposed him. “I could be texting anyone for all you know.”

“You liar! You just told us you saw a meme!” Jungwoo exclaims pointing an accusing finger at him.

Sicheng wiggles out of Jungwoo’s grip glancing at the two messages Yuta left him, trying to ignore his friends. “Anyway can you guys tell me why you’re playing Smash in my room?”

Doyoung clicks his tongue in annoyance, giving Jungwoo a look that Sicheng doesn’t notice with his back turned. “Don’t change the subject.”

He and Jungwoo move closer to Sicheng, and without warning, Doyoung pokes Sicheng’s side (an area where Sicheng was incredibly ticklish) causing an undignified yelp to escape his mouth. He loosens his grip on his phone and Jungwoo takes the chance to snatch it from Sicheng’s grasp.

He groans, crouching down, burying his face in his hands as Jungwoo starts yelling excitedly. It was no use trying to fake anything now.

“You saved his name as Yuta-sense with heart emojis!? I didn’t know you were this shameless, Sicheng!” Jungwoo giggles showing Doyoung who starts howling with laughter.

“I didn’t!” Sicheng protests, wanting the earth underneath him to swallow him whole. And maybe Jungwoo and Doyoung too. “He’s the one who put his name on my phone! I didn’t even notice until now.”

“Oh my god, he’s gotta be interested in you,” Doyoung says, reading the messages on Sicheng’s phone. “Just look at the way he texts you.”

Sicheng takes a peek through his fingers and looks up. Doyoung is holding his phone out for him to read. Sicheng would change the passcode constantly (something about government conspiracies) but there was no point in having ito when Doyoung always managed to figure it out. He sighs blinking owlishly, reading the messages.

 _Yuta-sensei ♡♡♡_  
_it’s not a problem really! im glad you feel much better now!_

_hope i can see you around campus more :)_

Sicheng groans, putting his face in his hands again. “He’s just being nice...” he mumbles in his hands while Jungwoo babbles on that, “he’s not just being nice, you, big dummy!”

During the commotion, the door to the room opens and Jaehyun stands, watching the scene in front of him. He blinks, glancing at Sicheng who’s still crouched on the floor before looking at Doyoung and Jungwoo with a questioning look.

“Uh, hey...what’s up guys?” He asks and Sicheng whips his head up just in time to see a mischievous look cross Doyoung’s face.

With strength he didn’t think he was capable of having, Sicheng tackles both Jungwoo and Doyoung on his bed, dropping his phone on the floor in the process. He clamps both of his hands over their mouths as they struggle beneath him.

“Nothing!” He says breathlessly, wincing when Jungwoo elbows him in the ribs.

Doyoung licks his hand and it feels disgusting but Sicheng doesn’t let go. He gives a panicked look to the two, glancing at Jaehyun and without words the two seem to understand that this subject shouldn’t be spoken in front of Jaehyun. He mouths “I’ll tell you later,” to the two, releasing them from his hold. Looking at the hand Doyoung licked with disgust, he wipes in on his pant leg.

Jaehyun looks taken back at the display he just witnessed and gives them a strange look. “Okay, then...” he doesn’t look convinced but Sicheng already feels too tired to try to save his image. “Are you guys staying here all night?” He asks, tossing his backpack on his bed and walking to his closest.

Sicheng looks at Doyoung and Jungwoo who shrugs. “Maybe? Are you bringing friends over?” Sicheng asks, feeling his stomach drop at the thought of Yuta possibly visiting their room.

Jaehyun shakes his head, grabbing a hoodie, pulling it over his head. “Nah, you guys can chill here; I’m heading over to a friend’s apartment for the night.” Sicheng quietly lets go of the breath he is holding. “Catch you guys later.” And with that he leaves the room.

Jungwoo and Doyoung are immediately all over him the second the door closes again.

“Shut up,” Sicheng mumbles, falling face first on his bed. Today’s events are starting to pile up on him and he feels exhausted. “Taeyong says that he and Yuta are friends and I’d rather not mortify myself any more than I already have, thank you.”

He feels someone softly pet his hair and sighs into the touch. He loves his friends dearly, but sometimes they push him over the edge.

“Sorry for teasing you too much,” Jungwoo says, pouting.

Sicheng looks at him, then Doyoung who has a sincere apologetic look on his face, and groans into the mattress. “It’s fine; I overreacted like usual...”

“I do have one question though.” Sicheng slowly sits up to face Doyoung. He’s looking at Sicheng with wide, curious eyes. “Do you think he’s cute?”

Sicheng bites his lip in thought. Objectively, yes, he does. Anyone could find another person good looking without...being interested in them but he knows the deeper meaning behind Doyoung’s words. Sicheng has honestly never thought about another person in what Doyoung is implying, too focused on anime and school to really care.

“Uh, yeah I guess?” Sicheng shrugs, feeling slightly warm. If he blushes anymore he could probably heat their entire dorm building. “I don’t know, honestly? I just feel embarrassed when I’m around him half the time; I guess I just don’t want him to think I’m a weirdo because I love anime?”

Doyoung nods. “That’s fair.” He pauses, trying to think of his words carefully. “If anything...develops, just let us know, okay? We only want the best for you...I tease you a lot but it’s out of love,” he adds puckering his lips and throwing his arms wide to try and hug Sicheng.

He grimaces, placing his hand on Doyoung’s face and shoving him away. “Gross. Don’t touch me,” he giggles, watching Doyoung pout and go over to Jungwoo who hugs him in return.

“Hey! Since Jaehyun isn’t going to be here tonight, let’s watch something!” Jungwoo suggests climbing on the bed and sitting next to Sicheng.

Sicheng pulls out his laptop from the bedside table while Doyoung flanks his other side. Doyoung hands the younger boy his cellphone, who glances at the messages Yuta sent once again, before locking it and putting it in his pocket.

“Let’s rewatch Samurai Flamenco again!” Sicheng says excitedly, already getting the tab for the website ready.

Doyoung groans, resting his head on Sicheng’s shoulder. “Again? We watched it 5 time already. Don’t you get tired of watching the same anime?” He mumbles, “it's not even that good,” under his breath and Sicheng turns to look at him with the most offended look he could muster.

“Don’t you dare diss Samurai Flamenco in my house!” He shrieks, placing a hand on his heart.

Jungwoo giggles. “He only likes watching it because of Goto.”

Sicheng scoff, “not true; the storyline is unique and has great references to sentai and Kamen Rider, which I love, and Masayoshi’s love for being a hero is pure! Goto is just a bonus.”

Doyoung hums, “A dark haired, bad-ass-looking guy, who’s actually really kind and attentive...I see; you have a type.”

Sicheng scowls, shrugging him off his should as he and Jungwoo laugh. “Shut up or I’ll kick you out.”

Doyoung doesn’t say anymore and (reluctantly) stays quiet as the opening starts playing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> question: do u guys what longer chapters but long updates or shorter chapters or faster updates?
> 
> (also kind of shameless but twitter’s @h1gh_fly I wanna have more mutuals to scream about yuwin and nct with pls hmu im shy when it comes to inciting conversations tho lol)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY FOR THE DELAY life got busy but I just wanted to say THANK U SO MUCH FOR UR SUPPORT ON MY FIC!!!! I’m absolutely floored that my dumb little fic got 200 kudos;;; reading your comments also keeps me really motivated ily ♡

The line to the campus cafe always got incredibly long at around 7:50 in the morning, when students tried getting a cup of coffee just before their 8am class. Sicheng wasn’t exactly a morning person, but he always made it a habit to leave nearly to avoid the long line and take his sweet time getting to class. However, a terrible decision to stay up until 5am binge watching One Piece for the fifth time with Doyoung and Jungwoo, made him scramble to get ready when he woke up to his alarm blaring at 7:38.

 

He didn’t even have time to kick out the two freeloaders sleeping soundly; Jungwoo sprawled across his bed and Doyoung clinging onto his pillow on the floor.

 

By the time he reached the cafe, the line was stretching out the door, a few students trying to cram into the tiny cafe. Sicheng wanted to cry.

 

The thought of not starting his day without a cup of hot tea was brutal. His 8am was philosophy; he could barely function normally at 8am, never mind a philosophy class at 8am. And with only three hours of sleep; how was he supposed to function?

 

Sicheng sighed looking at the line and the exit to the cafe, fighting an internal debate on whether to suffer his philosophy class without his precious tea or be late and get a scolding from the professor. Just as he decided to suck it up and go to class, someone calls his name somewhere on the line.

 

“Sicheng!” Standing near the front of the line is Yuta, smiling brightly. Sicheng blinks for a second, wondering how anyone can be so energized so early in the morning. He waves Sicheng to come over and he compiles, brain not fully functioning with the lack of sleep.

 

Sicheng walks over and the girl behind Yuta throws them a dirty look, but Sicheng doesn’t have the energy to care to throw her a look back.

 

“Hey,” Sicheng yawns, blushing, trying to cover his mouth. He looks away when Yuta laughs.

 

“Morning! Not a morning person, I guess?” Yuta questions, an amused expression on his face. Sicheng shrugs, looking at the growing line. “You have an 8am?”

 

“Unfortunately,” he mumbles but clears his throat and nods. “I-I mean yeah, um, sorry I really can’t stay and talk,” he apologizes, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “I was going to get something but...” he gestures to the line, sadly.

 

Yuta nods as the cashier calls him to the register and Sicheng doesn’t know if it’s rude to just leave, so he awkwardly follows him to the front.

 

“A small iced americano, two croissants and,” he pauses through his order and turns to Sicheng, “what kind of tea do you normally drink?”

 

Sicheng’s eyes widen in surprise. holding his hands up, he shakes his head in protest. “W-what? You really don’t have too—“ he stops mid sentence when he hears the annoyed grunt from the girl behind. He looks down meekly and quietly mumbles, “a small green tea.”

 

Yuta looks triumphant as he pays for the both of them. Sicheng tries to grab his wallet to pay him back but Yuta shakes his head and refuses the money. “It’s fine, I wanted to,” he says, shrugging his shoulders. They step to the side to wait for their order. “I know how I get when I don’t get my coffee in the morning and didn’t want you so go through the same thing.”

 

“But still...” Sicheng protests weakly.

 

Yuta smiles, patting his shoulder. “Take it as a friendly treat from your tutor!”

 

Sicheng grimaces, “but shouldn’t I be the one treating you then...?”

 

“Okay then!” Yuta brightens up. A worker hands Yuta the bag with the croissants and he takes one out, giving Sicheng the bag with the other one. Seconds later, the worker hands Sicheng his tea. “How about this: treat me later, okay?”

 

Sicheng bites his lip and clenches the bag, nodding quietly. “Okay...”

 

Yuta gives Sicheng a soft smile that leaves his stomach fluttering and glances at his watch. “Oh, it’s almost 8am, you should go.”

 

Snapping out of his daze, he glances at the cafe’s digital clock and swears when he sees the time is 7:56. “I really have to go, I’m sorry! Thank you so much!”

 

Yuta shakes his head, amused at Sicheng’s frantic state. “It’s fine, it’s fine! Don’t forget though; you owe me!”

 

Sicheng nods once more before racing outside the cafe, trying to ignore the warmth spreading across his chest as he hears the sound of Yuta’s laugh.

  


—

  


Sicheng stumbles into his philosophy class with one minute to spare, disheveled. The professor gives Sicheng a weary glance as he makes his way breathlessly to his seat next to his friend and philosophy class partner, Kun, in the back of the room who stares at him in question.

 

“You’re later than usual today,” Kun says as Sicheng sighs, dropping his head on his desk.

 

“Stayed up late watching anime,” Sicheng mumbled, words muffled, snuggling into the crook of his arm.

 

Kun scoffs, rolling his eyes. “When don’t you do that though.” He eyes the paper bag next to Sicheng’s cup of tea. “What’s that?”

 

Sicheng lifts his head up and blushes slightly, remembering the events prior to getting into class. “O-oh, just a croissant...um, someone got it for me since I was running late.”

 

Kun raises in eyebrow in curiosity as Sicheng fidgets in his seat. Before he can question the other, the professor starts speaking, effectively ending their conversation, much to Sicheng’s relief.

 

Kun was a lot like Doyoung; he was good at picking up emotional cues from others easily, especially someone like Sicheng who was like an open book most of the time.

 

He wasn’t up for Kun’s interrogation at the moment.

 

Ignoring Kun’s curious stare, Sicheng turns to face the front of the classroom when he feels a buzz from the front pocket of his pants. Glancing at the professor, who’s going off about Socrates or some other Greek philosopher, he pulls out his phone to read the message.

 

_Yuta-sensei ♡♡♡_

_Made it to class on time?_

 

Sicheng blinks in surprise. He feels his face flush when he remembers how Yuta is saved on his phone. He briefly has the thought to change it because it’s embarrassing but he shakes his head and quietly types out a message.

 

_I made it just under a minute! Thank you for the tea and croissant;;;_

 

He places his phone on his thigh when it vibrates against his leg moments later.

 

_Yuta-sensei ♡♡♡_

_That’s good to hear ^ ^_

_You busy during common hour?_

 

Common hour, or the the hour and a half period of time when classes weren’t in session, that allowed students to take part in different clubs, was spent with Sicheng going to the Japanese Culture Club or ditching to play video games with Doyoung and Jungwoo.

 

He isn’t really up for going to club or for Doyoung crushing him and Jungwoo in video games so he was just planning on relaxing until he had class.

 

_Not really? Why?_

 

_Yuta-sensei ♡♡♡_

_I was wondering if you wanted to meet up then? I know we have sessions every mon and thurs but I found something that I think will help you with memorization!_  

_I know we just saw each other but I didn’t expect to see you and didn’t have it on me_

 

Sicheng shakes the slight pang of disappointment he feels when he sees Yuta’s response. Of course he’s only texting him because he’s his tutor and he’s supposed to be helping him out.

 

Another buzz vibrates against his thigh, snapping him from his thoughts.

 

_Yuta-sensei ♡♡♡_

_And you still owe me too ;)_

 

Sicheng wheezes slightly, banging his knee on his desk. Several students look at him with a mix of annoyance and confusion, Kun among the confused. The older nudges Sicheng with his foot to get his attention but Sicheng is too flustered to notice.

 

Burying his head in his arms, Sicheng ignores the pointed stare his professor throws at him. He feels another buzz against his leg and tenses slightly, thinking it’s another message from Yuta. He sighs with relief when it’s only a message from Kun asking him what’s wrong.

 

He types a quick, “I’ll tell you later” to Kun and writes a response to Yuta, agreeing to meet up at the campus cafe during common hour, before turning his attention back to the front of the class.

 

The boring lecture about Greek philosophers is drowned out by thoughts of meeting up with Yuta later.

  
  


—

  


Sicheng tended to avoid places that were crowded due to his introverted nature, so agreeing to meet at the cafe during common hour wasn’t exactly the most brilliant idea he’s ever had.

 

By the time Sicheng heads to the campus cafe, it’s packed with students that just got out of class, relaxing with their hour and half of free time. He doesn’t make it a habit to go to the cafe (unless it’s before his 8am philosophy class) so seeing it so crammed was new to Sicheng.

 

He scans the cafe trying to see if Yuta is already there, when he sees him sitting at a table tucked away in the back corner. He’s speaking to a beautiful girl with long dark hair. She leans down to say something to him and Yuta laughs, throwing his head back.

 

Sicheng feels an odd churning sensation in his stomach and freezes in the middle of the cafe. He hesitates, glancing the table and then the exit of the cafe, feeling as if he’d interrupt the two if he moves any closer. It’s a nasty feeling and Sicheng just wants it to go away.

 

Before he gets a chance to flee the cafe (and inevitably marathon anime alone in his room until common hour was over), Yuta spots him and smiles, casually waving him to come over.

 

His brain short circuits for a moment as he awkwardly makes his way to the table. He tries not to think much of it when Yuta’s expression lights up.

 

“Sicheng! Hey!” Yuta says motioning to the chair in front of him.

 

Sicheng nods at him before sitting down and glancing at the girl standing beside Yuta. She’s looking at Sicheng with a curious look on her face and he can’t help but feel self conscious about it. She’s small in stature and has an air of “pure-ness” to her that most people would find cute.

 

The girl smiles at him politely bowing to acknowledge his presence before turning to Yuta and unexpectedly starts speaking in Japanese. Yuta’s eyes widen a fraction glancing at Sicheng.

 

He picks up the words “cute” but nothing really sticks to Sicheng. He laments being such a beginner in Japanese.

 

She giggles and gives Sicheng a knowing smile before bowing to him once again, leaving Sicheng confused.

 

Yuta sighs and looks at the girl leaving the cafe, with an exasperated fondness that leaves Sicheng’s stomach churning again.

 

 _Maybe I shouldn’t have eaten this morning..._ he thinks, looking at the hand he places on his chest.

 

“Sorry about that,” Yuta sighs. “Did you understand anything she said?” And it could be Sicheng’s imagination, but he says it with careful hesitation with a tinge of worry. Sicheng can’t tell since Yuta’s expression remains fairly neutral.

 

Sicheng shakes his head and shrugs. “I only recognized her saying “cute” but I’m not sure what that would mean in context,” he admits, bashfully.

 

Yuta’s shoulders sag down as he lets out a breath but shakes it away immediately. “Well that’s what I’m here for! Watanabe-sensei isn’t exactly the best professor unless you’re taking the more advanced classes, if I’m being honest.”

 

Sicheng silently agrees, nodding his head. He wouldn’t be having such a difficult time if his professor actually taught him the basics and not assume he already knew it.

 

Yuta reaches down into his backpack and pulls out a dingy looking yellow box, pushing it across the table. “I was thinking about how you said you had difficulty remembering different words when I remembered I had this set of cards I got before I was in elementary school. I fixed it a bit so it would be easier to follow for someone learning Japanese.”

 

Sicheng carefully lifts the box and lifts up one of the old looking cards. The card he picks up has the hiragana character for “sa” and a cutely drawn picture of a fish on it. Sicheng flips it over and the messy writing of a child and a crude looking fish is drawn. He looks at it with wonder and Yuta chuckles. “That’s sakana; it means fish. This will also help you with your vocabulary, even though some of these words aren’t in your lesson plans.” Sicheng traces the childish writing with his finger and smiles slightly.

 

“Did you draw this?” He asks softly.

 

“Ah,” Yuta says, rubbing the back of his head, smiling bashfully. “Yeah I was four I think?” He chuckles again. “I was never a good artist.”

 

Sicheng giggles, covering his smile behind his hand. “It’s cute.” He instantly pauses, eyes widening a fraction, “I, uh—“

 

Yuta blinks in pleasant surprise before smiling and Sicheng suddenly thinks he might have a heart problem from the weird stutter he feels in his chest. “Thanks.” Yuta clears his throat. “Hope you use it well,” he smiles brightly. “I’ll show you more during our lessons, but for now,” he places his elbows on the table, folding his hands together, resting his chin on top of them. “You still owe me one.”

 

Sicheng flushes when Yuta winks at him, looking away. “S-sure, what did you want?”

 

“Your time maybe?” Yuta says after a moment’s pause. Sicheng pauses, thinking he heard Yuta wrong. Yuta shakes his head, looking slightly embarrassed when Sicheng shows no reaction. “I mean, I technically have your time now, but I wasn’t sure if you had something to do after this...”

 

Sicheng finds it endearing, seeing Yuta’s bashful side. It’s...different. He expects Yuta to be overconfident in all he does (considering his reputation) but he’s quite considerate and humble.

 

“I honestly thought I’d be spending common hour with you.” He blurts out, slapping his hand over his mouth in mortification when Yuta smirks.

 

Yuta leans forward and raises an eyebrow. “Oh?” And there goes that bashfulness.

 

“I-I don’t mean it in a weird way or anything. I just—I don’t really want to go to club or anything so I just assumed I’d be here with you,” he ends his explanation with a tiny squeak. His explanation isn’t any better, he surmises, and Sicheng wishes he could dunk his head in a bucket of cold water.

 

“Well I’m glad you think spending time with me is better than going to your club,” Yuta says, letting out a laugh.

 

Sicheng fans his face with his hand before standing up. He really needs to change the subject. “I’m getting something to eat. Did you want anything?”

 

Yuta looks up at him amused. “Just soda is fine. And I'll just have the same thing to eat as you.”

 

Sicheng nods and walks over to the counter to order. He places his hand on his cheek to try and cool his face down when he goes to order. After telling the cashier what he wants, paying for their food and drinks, he steps to side and feels a buzz from his phone in his pocket. A message from Doyoung in his group chat with him and Jungwoo lights up the screen.

 

_Doyoung_

_I’m just casually minding my own business, going to the cafe to grab something to eat and guess who I see in the corner giggling like a lovesick fool with Nakamoto Yuta_

 

Sicheng whips his head and glances around the cafe to see if Doyoung is anywhere nearby. His phone vibrates again and this time it’s Jungwoo responding with a series of colorful emojis.

 

Not having the mental capacity to handle his friends and Nakamoto Yuta at the same time, Sicheng pockets his phone when his order is called.

 

 _I need to calm down,_ Sicheng thinks, taking a deep breath, walking back over to their table.

 

Yuta’s scrolling through his phone when Sicheng gets back, but instantly smiles when he sees him. His heart stutters in his chest again.

 

Okay, Sicheng will admit he maybe...MAYBE...thinks Nakamoto Yuta is cute.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you guess who the mysterious girl is?
> 
> I’m adding tags as I go so I don’t spoil anything :’)
> 
> Follow me on twitter to see me cry abt yuta and nct @h1gh_fly


End file.
